Preview — The Seagull Reader
by Joseph Kelly

The Seagull Reader: Fiction

W. W. Norton proudly announces the Seagull Readers, a new collection of the most frequently taught stories. Ideal for genre or introductory literature courses, the Seagull Readers offer a compact and affordable alternative to larger anthologies. Each volume includes a wide selection of both classic and contemporary works, as well as a thorough introduction to each genre anW. W. Norton proudly announces the Seagull Readers, a new collection of the most frequently taught stories. Ideal for genre or introductory literature courses, the Seagull Readers offer a compact and affordable alternative to larger anthologies. Each volume includes a wide selection of both classic and contemporary works, as well as a thorough introduction to each genre and biographies of the authors.

An inexpensive and portable alternative to bulky anthologies, The Seagull Reader: Stories offers twnety-nine stories, from time honored favorites such as Stephen Crane's "The Open Boat" and William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" to contemporary classics such as Tim O'Brien's "The Things They Carried" and Alice Walker's "Everyday Use." The Seagull Reader: Stories is lightly supplemented by editorial apparatus, including an introduction to the major concepts of the genre, brief headnotes to each piece, annotations within stories where necessary, a glossary of terms, and biographical sketches of each author.

Community Reviews

I have had a number of customers request one or another SEAGULL READER. Finally, I noticed that the store was returning THE SEAGULL READER: STORIES. Thinking this was a shame, I decided to buy one. I'm glad I did. It is what it says it is: An anthology "lightly supplemented by editorial apparatus."These are pretty famous stories, but the introduction, biographical sketches and glossary are unique in that they are to-the-point, informative and, somehow, fresh. His introduction concludes with a liI have had a number of customers request one or another SEAGULL READER. Finally, I noticed that the store was returning THE SEAGULL READER: STORIES. Thinking this was a shame, I decided to buy one. I'm glad I did. It is what it says it is: An anthology "lightly supplemented by editorial apparatus."These are pretty famous stories, but the introduction, biographical sketches and glossary are unique in that they are to-the-point, informative and, somehow, fresh. His introduction concludes with a little arrow-pointing. He wants us to read Frank O'Connor's "Guests of the Nation." I read it today. I defy you not to be moved by it. Kelly has also included a masterful story by that other O'Connor whose first name begins with "F." It is one of the most memorable stories in all literature.W. W. Norton publishes THE SEAGULL READER series. I think there's some idea at Norton that textbooks the size of the Manhattan phone book, with pages as thin as butterfly wings, are a bit forbidding. THE SEAGULL READER has thin pages, but they're no thicker than a composition notebook. The covers are, indeed, designed to look like composition notebooks. These are marketed toward students. When I was a student, Norton Anthologies were not only huge, they featured covers by Edward Hopper. Maybe the Hopper Estate is beginning to charge? So, Norton's gone thrifty. One thing, though. Norton should stop shrink-wrapping these. Let the people shopping at Barnes and Noble have a peek inside. READER is in the title, after all.

Wow, what a mix of authors and stories! Of the 29, the best in my opinion, Stephen Crane's The Open Boat; Tillie Olsen's I Stand Here Ironing; Alice Walker's Everyday Use; and Updike's A&P. And the worst ... James Joyce's Araby and Chinua Achebe's Uncle Ben's Choice. More than some stories in this collection nearly made me ill - so violent, dark and too realistic! It is interesting to wonder what makes people tick, how they create such things. Especially Charlotte Perkins Gilman and her TheWow, what a mix of authors and stories! Of the 29, the best in my opinion, Stephen Crane's The Open Boat; Tillie Olsen's I Stand Here Ironing; Alice Walker's Everyday Use; and Updike's A&P. And the worst ... James Joyce's Araby and Chinua Achebe's Uncle Ben's Choice. More than some stories in this collection nearly made me ill - so violent, dark and too realistic! It is interesting to wonder what makes people tick, how they create such things. Especially Charlotte Perkins Gilman and her The Yellow Wallpaper! *shiver* Never heard of Alice Walker but her Everyday Use from 1973 is a good story! Another poster, Frederick, says O'Connor's A Good Man is Hard to Find is "one of the most memorable stories in all literature". I guess I can agree on this. It is written very well and it certainly held my attention but it's scary, violent and too realistic on random acts of violence for my comfort!...more

I had to read 25 short stories from this book for my LIT class. Most were amazing and some were totally confusing. It's different learning how to read something with an analytical mind, instead of just for enjoyment. I understand why my teacher chose this book, because the stories all provoke higher level thinking. You have to think outside the box to understand some of them. Of the stories I read, the 2 most profound for me were Cathedral and Hills Like White Elephants. I highly recommend them.

Classic, oft-anthologized stories which are good for upcoming fiction writers. Some of my favorites are "What You Pawn I Will Redeem," Sherman Alexie; "The Yellow Wallpaper," Charlotte Perkins Gilman; "Hills Like White Elephants," Ernest Hemingway; "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been," Joyce Carol Oates; and "A&P," John Updike.

I recently compared a handful of textbooks winnowed down from a much larger list for an Intro to Fiction class. This one did make the final cut. Not bad, but like many collections of this sort too many 'iconic'/'canonic' stories and too few surprises.

Pluses are the clean design (easy on the eyes) and relatively affordable price.

Read most of the stories in this thing. I wasn't particularly impressed, honestly. I guess this just isn't the format style for me. A lot of the stories weren't that interesting to me 'Classics' maybe but really, had I not been assigned to read them I wouldn't have read them.

This is a nice collection of short stories that isn't too large (like so many anthologies). It has a nice range of stories and authors, and also includes a short paragraph intro to each. It would be great for using in high school classrooms.